MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800
PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS FROM ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS TO XYZ AFFAIR
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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They were passed over President Adams’ veto.
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Many thought they violated the Constitution.
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They failed to arrest any people they targeted.
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They were the first laws made under the new Constitution.
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Detailed explanation-1: -The laws-which remain controversial to this day-restricted the activities of foreign residents in the country and limited freedom of speech and of the press, particularly when it was critical of the president or the government.
Detailed explanation-2: -Jeffersonian-Republicans countered that the Sedition Act violated the First Amendment because it stifled legitimate criticism of the government, shutting down freedom of speech and the press. The act also violated the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, in Jefferson’s view.
Detailed explanation-3: -The most controversial of the new laws permitting strong government control over individual actions was the Sedition Act. In essence, this Act prohibited public opposition to the government. Fines and imprisonment could be used against those who “write, print, utter, or publish . . .
Detailed explanation-4: -The Republican minority in Congress argued that sedition laws violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press. The Federalists countered by defining these freedoms in the narrow English manner.